Runaways
by FlamingRose11
Summary: After losing him, she leaves. But in leaving behind Mystic Falls, she leaves behnd someone else.And in his long life, he has lost too much to let her go. Damon/Caroline, a bit of Damon/Elena Caroline/Tyler, and Damon/Bonnie friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey everyone! I am back! and I have a new story. This is a little experiment with the Caroline/Damon relationship. Hope you enjoy it. :) - FlamingRose11**

The year is 1924. To be frank, it isn't too terrible of a century so far. Of course it's not as great as 1864. Nothing would be better than being again he does like the shorter skirts. He always did like the sight of women's legs. He looks around him. His brother and Katherine are the soul survivors of his past life. One he doesn't speak to, one he longs for. Now come to think of it, besides the shorter skirts on the women and the lax morals, 1924 sucks. He should be around his eighties by now. Instead he's stuck like this. An eternity of a youthful exterior, and a soul worn down by too much of the world for his pleasure. Pleasure; he could use some of that right now.

"I can give it to you," Jordan whispered in his ear as she traced invisible circles on his chest. His signature smirk fell in place before he tilted his head to look at her eager face.

"Aw, you are so generous," he murmured against her neck. A small giggle escaped her before she inhaled sharply at the feel of his teeth sinking into her. He drank till her body went limp. Leaving her there in the hotel room, he got his coat and after wiping his mouth, gracefully took his leave of the lifeless hotel room.

He walked out into the streets of New York City. Stephan would have loved it here, he thought. The lights, the women, the excitement, the adventure. Then again he may not. He may have already been here. What did he know about his brother's whereabouts? Nothing. And that was how he wanted it. A twinge came to his chest at the thought of his brother. He cursed. He cursed Stephan for turning him into this monster. He cursed his mind for thinking of his brother. He cursed himself for caring about him.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So here is the second chapter. I really do hope you guys like this story once it is finished. and of course if you could send me those lovely little reviews it would e greatly appreciated :) - FlamingRose**

The year is 1974. The clothes suck. The music isn't too bad. Rock is actually a pleasurable sound, a good melody, good rhythm. Disco? Not so much. He's not really much of a fan. Unless he gets to dance with beautiful women. Then it's tolerable. It was more than tolerable in some cases. For example, the women were so much easier to seduce. And feed on. They always considered it some kinky new thing that he picked up in England. Yes, he was English, at least for this decade. Just like the decade before he was an American touring Japan who later moved to England at the end of the sixties. When 1970 came around he came to California. He had been to many places, but nothing was like the south. Nothing was like 1864. He stopped and focused on the jugular of the blonde lying in bed beside him. Now was not a time to reminisce.

The year is 2004. He's been thinking about it. Mystic falls should be graced with his presence pretty soon. It's been what? One hundred plus years? Something like that. Maybe he would see his brother. He had heard the vampire on a rampage had changed his ways and had become Saint Stephan. He drank animal blood and pretended to be human. He wanted to have_ compassion_. He wanted to _feel_. What a load of crap. He was only fooling himself. If only he would give in to his monstrous side, his vicious side, his natural side. Maybe he would be happier. Maybe he would go to Mystic Falls. Pay him a visit. Show him what_ fun_ he could be having.

The year is 2010. All hell is breaking loose. Too much has happened for him to even keep straight. Katherine is back. Elena looks like her. Stefan, though he wants to kill him, he finds himself saving him more than doing him harm.

He doesn't get it. He doesn't understand why he's been saving other vampires and even werewolves. The thought still sickens him. And how could he forget the little thing called responsibility? For some reason he was taking responsibility for his actions now. Not only his actions, but other people as well. He had made many vampires before. He just left them to their own devices once the change occurred. He didn't bother to help them in any way, and if any of them were stupid enough to get themselves in trouble, he didn't bother saving them. It was different with the blonde one. Maybe it was because he tried saving her as a human. Instead, as usual, his good deed turned ugly, and Katherine got to her. So maybe he felt responsible for partially endangering her. Maybe it was because of the strong connection between creation and creator that is too big for any human or supernatural human to fully understand. Maybe it was because he was in love with her best friend. Whatever the reason, he found himself repeatedly saving her life.

He found himself taking care of her, watching out for her, protecting her, saving her. Granted, she gets in a lot of trouble on his account, but there are other times he puts himself in jeopardy to save her from her own mess. There it was again. See, he wasn't being selfish. What was that? Well, when you're at war, you do some crazy things for alliances just like you do for approval when you are in love. Unfortunately for him, he was in both.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is chapter 3. I posted a lot in one day I know. but it is too long for a oneshot and i feel the chpaters are too short to be chapters. so you get them in many doses. :) remember to review! please? I'll give yo ua cookie. :D **

The year is 2015. Well, war is hell. Lucky for him it's over, but unlucky for him, he's lost so much. His brother's love Elena, which incidentally is the same as his, his brother and best friend Stephan, and numerous allies. Blondie was still alive though temporarily unreachable. She lost people too. She lost her best friend, she's lost Stephan her mentor, and she's lost her wolf. He can still her screams from that night.

He had gotten a call. They both had. He tried to rush to the spot before her, but she was there first. They were both too late. His mangled body lay lifeless in the grass, the blood soaking into the soil. She fell to the ground and held the his body tightly, sobbing and screaming. The only thing he could do was remove her hands from the lifeless corpse and hold her tightly against his chest, whispering soothing and comforting words he didn't even believe himself. As the bodies of that week's battle were placed in the ground, she stood there, her face as cold and wet as stone catching the first of the summer's rain. He knew it was happening before she did. He recognized that face. It was the look of heightened emotion that caused him to become a monster so many years earlier. He couldn't let it happen to her, too. He couldn't let her go through the pain he had felt that came from resuscitation. _If only_, he thought, _if only she could be stronger than me then I wouldn't lose her._ He knew he was stronger now. He was strong enough to help her.

That night he went up to her house to find her. He didn't know what he was going to say or do. He was there to attempt comfort even though it wasn't his strong point. Stephan had always been the one who was good at this kind of stuff. When things like this happened, Damon fought the bad guys and Stephan saved and comforted the women and children. It was a system. It was their system, but now Stephan was gone, so Damon had to do it all. Maybe if he was lucky, he could get the blonde vampire on his side. If he succeeded in this comforting thing once and kept her from turning into a monster, it could be her and him saving the world. He could go back to fighting the bad guys and she could take Stephan's place as savior and comforter.

But when he got there, something was wrong. He opened the door and searched through the house in a frenzy. She wasn't there. He found a note on the table that had already been opened.

_Dear Mom,_

_Don't get freaked out when you find me gone. Do me a favor and don't look for me. I just need time to myself. I need to figure things out. I need to find a place for myself in this world. I don't know where that is, but I know it's not in Mystic Falls. Don't forget to feed the cat._

_Love,_

_Caroline_

He dashed out the door and to the boarding house where he poured himself a scotch and sat down in front of the fireplace to stare at the flames. She was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. If Stephan was still here he could help him. If Elena was still alive then she could help him help Caroline. But Stephan was gone. Elena was dead. He was alone, and he couldn't track someone alone. He dialed a number of one of his mindless flings that he seemed to have remembered throughout the years and poured himself another glass of scotch. He was going to get drunk tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

**An: hey everyone! so I fixed the spelling of Stefan in the coming chapters as was requested. now with business aside i though i would tell you about how i opened my inbox today and was like OH MY GOSH THERE ARE SO MANY REVIEWS THIS IS SO AWESOME! I am smiling so much right now thanks to all of you who reviewed! :D **

**I am so glad to see I am not the only Caroline and Damon shipper! my friend Joi and I seem to be the only ones in our group who think they work well. :) well thanks so much and here is another chapter! :DD hope you like it! read and review por favor? :D it would be much appreciated :) **

**-FlamingRose **

The year is 2020. He's given up blood for a time. He wanted to feel as human as possible, and drinking human blood didn't make him feel very human. With Alaric's help, he got a job at the high school. He was the new U.S. History teacher, and his AP students hated him some days. He relished in their distaste for him. It meant that when they got their AP scores of fives and fours they would love him, and that worked for him. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't think of Caroline, but it no longer devoured him. He could think straight now. His days were good, he had a routine, and he was relaxed. Then the animal attacks began.

He knew who it was. He knew he would see her eventually one way or another. He was ready for it-well, for the most part. It was the night of a full moon. If he knew her well enough, she would be wandering in the woods this time of night. He grabbed his coat off the end of the couch and headed out the door. It was a nice night for a walk. He went into the trees, deeper and deeper. He found himself fast approaching the old Lockwood place. He heard a twig snap in the distance and stopped. She couldn't be far. A sound like wind was coming towards him. He could hear through the rush a pitter patter of running feet. He let go of a smirk as he darted to the side and in a circle knowing she wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of a chase. If she gave in to her unfeeling and monstrous side, there was nothing that could keep her from a challenge. Not even death. The feet behind him stopped. He turned to look behind him and there she was. The pale moonlight bounced off her blonde hair, and her lips were shiny and red with blood left over from the night's kill. Her cat like eyes piercing through the dark found his. Instantly the blood pulsed through her, swelling the veins around her face, and she hissed, her fangs making their appearance, glinting in the soft light. He growled in response and in challenge. One second he was facing her on his feet, the next he was flat on his back on the forest ground with her on top of him, her hand gripping his neck.

"You're weak," she snarled, "not getting enough blood lately?"

"I thought I would try the animal diet."

"If you were drinking what you know you should then maybe you wouldn't be such easy prey."

"Is that concern I hear in your voice Caroline?"

"Don't count on it Damon," she spat as she pushed herself from him and turned to leave, "I gave up on that intense emotion crap a long time ago." He grabbed her wrist and spun her to him, grabbing tightly to her shoulders.

"Come on Caroline," he whispered to her looking her in the eye, "Don't pretend to be a monster. Why else would you come here on a full moon? The Lockwood place? No unfeeling monster would be out during a full moon running the risk of encountering a deadly werewolf, but you do. Why is that?" Her eyes widened for a second, and he thought he may have struck something in her, but they only narrowed and he found himself on the ground again with her standing over him.

"Don't test me Damon," she snarled, "you may be older, but I am stronger." With those last words she stalked off and disappeared into the trees. He smiled to himself as his fingers relaxed from their fist. He opened his hand and looked in triumph at the charm he had managed to grab off of her charm bracelet. It was the one he and Stefan had gotten her the Christmas of 2013. He slowly got to his feet and walked in the direction of Bonnie's house. No doubt Caroline had left by now. She wouldn't linger after running into him here. But that didn't matter. He could find her now. If ony Bonnie were willing to help, then he might just be able to reach her.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey! here is a new chapter for all of you! I am still loving getting your reviews! any line you absolutely love? made you laugh? made you cry? let me know! I love feedback! enjoy! - FlamingRose**

The year is 2021. He's in South Dakota. Before this he was in Utah. Before this he was in California. Before this he was in Main. It had only been a year, and yet he and Bonnie have gone across the country and back searching for her. Still, no Caroline.

"I'm sorry Bonnie," he said as they sat on a park bench and watched the sun go down, "I drug you into this goose chase to find her and we've gotten nowhere."

"Wait," she said turning dramatically to him, "did Damon Salvatore just- _apologize_? I've got to tweet this." She pulled out her phone and pressed at buttons frantically.

"Haha Bonnie, very funny," he said with a slight smile, "you don't even have a twitter." She smiled and let go of a laugh.

"I'm serious though," he continued looking out to the west where the sun was sinking slowly behind a tree, "I really do apologize. I told you we would find her. That if you helped me we could find her easily. When I got that charm off of her last year I was so sure of myself, so confident. I must have under estimated some part of her..." he ducked his head and looked at his feet.

"The part that isn't her you mean?" she said, "look Damon. When you came to me with your proposition, the first thing I thought of was the Katherine fiasco. I thought 'this is going to drive him crazy' but I helped you anyways because I knew Stephan and Elena would have done the same. I thought I was going to regret it. You proved me wrong you know. It's because with Caroline it's different."

"You think so?"

"Yes!"

"But I've taken you on this chase and away from your art students, Jeremy, your friends. How could you not regret it?"

"Because I'm with my best friend," she said. He he looked at her quizzically, not sure he heard her right. She smiled and continued.

"You've never been my friend before, but after this experience I can easily say that you are my best friend living on this earth." She smiled at him and watched his smile grow.

"Do you mean it? I actually have a friend other than Ric?"

"Yes. You do." His signature grin made its way to his face.

"Say it," he told her.

"What? I just did!"

"No! Really say it. Say 'Damon Salvatore, you are my best friend on this earth.'" She groaned.

"Fine," she said and took a deep breath, "Damon Salvatore, you are my best friend on this earth."

"Why Bonnie Bennett I had no idea!" she slapped his arm playfully before bringing her feet up on the bench and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Well now you do," she said, "and I would like it very much if you didn't do anything stupid to get yourself killed as long as I'm around."

"No promises," he said, "but I'll try." She smiled. The sun was down, and the stars were out. She looked up at them and then looked back at Damon who was again plagued by worry for Caroline.

"She's out there Damon. One day you'll find her."

"What about you Bonnie?" he asked, "I don't want to let you down if we don't find her. If you locate her and I am just not fast enough. What if she's in trouble? What if she gets killed?"

"You can't disappoint me Damon. If anything I will disappoint you. But I am happy with my life now. I'm content. You are the one who needs Caroline. I know you don't like thinking about this, but one day I'll be gone, and so will Ric and Jeremy, but you will always be here, and being without close and old friends who know you inside and out is hard to do on earth and especially for long periods of time. You and Caroline need each other," she paused before she continued.

"And as for Caroline, she's a big girl. She can take care of herself. You know as well as me that she is tough and a fighter. She can handle anything that comes her way. Except maybe an older vampire who may or may not have been her ex-boyfriend and in love with her best friend." At this she gave him a small knowing smile, and he let go of a laugh.

"Yes I am a formidable force aren't I?"

"Hmmm," she said as she concentrated on him.

"Ow!" he exclaimed as he swatted at his ear, "don't do that!"

"At least it's not an aneurism like the good old days."

"Good point," he said. She sighed as she relaxed and dozed off in a light sleep. He looked down at the young woman on his shoulder and looked back up to the night sky. A smile made its way to his face. With Bonnie by his side, he felt invincible. If anyone could help him find Caroline, it was her. He sighed and got comfortable for a cat nap. Tomorrow would be a long day. Even if he didn't find her tomorrow, if he had friends like Bonnie and Ric, he wouldn't go crazy just yet.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Dear dear readers! thank you so much for the reviews! oh my goodness have I got a chapter for you! as this was supposed to be a not so lengthy story and I really can't go on about fifty some odd years of searching for Caroline, we have jumped ahead a bit in our story. but! no matter! I am sure you will love it :D reviews=love. :) enjoy! 3 FlamingRose**

The year is 2075. He's dressed in black for the funeral of the last war survivor, Bonnie. He shed a tear for the one person who had become his dearest friend over the years. They found commonality in their quest to find Caroline. They found comfort in each other in their shortcomings. They found friendship in dusting each other off and continuing on the search no matter how many times they failed. I guess that's why she was his best friend.

He watched the casket as it was lowered into the ground. As he glanced up he noticed a strange woman hanging back in the small gathering of people. She had on a long sleeved black dress. A mourning veil covered her face, but the long blonde tresses peeking out from underneath gave her away. He let go of a wry smile. All this time he and Bonnie had been risking their lives to find her and getting close, but always missing her by a hair. Now Bonnie was gone, and here she was. Just as beautiful as when he last saw her those many years ago in the forest.

When Bonnie became too old to continue the search with him, she returned to Mystic Falls as he continued his search. She enjoyed her tranquil life, but she missed her companion. She missed the man she spent so much time with during their journeys, so to please her and comfort himself, he would make visits in between leads to her posing as a son in law of a daughter of hers that passed on to the other side much too early. That's why when the people in the town overheard them speaking of Caroline, of what they remembered of the good old days, they always assumed it was his late wife. Bonnie had always thought that in a way it was fitting.

"_Damon, I know you never believed me when I said it before, but I really do think that you love Caroline a lot more than you let on."_

"_No Bonnie," he would always say with a hint of a smile, "I loved Elena. It was always Elena."_

"_You say that," she would tell him as she shook her head, "but even now you say 'loved' and 'was'. In past tense."_

"_Well she's gone. She died."_

"_For all we know so has Caroline, but I don't hear you speak of her in past tense."  
>"She's still out there," he would say, his jaw setting in determination.<em>

"_And if she's not?"  
>"I'm going to keep looking."<em>

"_Then tell me this," she said leaning in close, "if you aren't in love with her, then why do you keep searching?" After letting the words settle a while she would lean in closer to him and take his hand in hers. _

" _You've been in love before Damon," she would say, "and I know that when those women went missing, you would fight to the death to protect her, you would butcher nefarious plans to keep her safe, and you would run to the end of the earth and back to find her if she went missing. If I were you, I would start to put two and two together before it's too late. There is nothing worse than lying to yourself. I hope you remember that." He would then look into those warm and sparkling brown eyes and see her tender smile, and he couldn't help but let go of a small chuckle. _

_After a while of soft laughing, Bonnie would speak up and say "Now why don't you tell me about that time Caroline…" and fill it in with whichever story he had for her. Bonnie would sit there on her porch and listen to the story with a smile as the neighbors passed by looking sympathetically at Damon as he remembered his supposed lost wife. _

"_I know how sad it is," her friend Amber once told her, "but it's amazing to see how much he is still in love with her even after she's gone." _

"_She's not gone to him," she said, "after the tragedy that took place at the river, the police searched for her. Her body was never found. For him, he still can't believe her to be dead. I tell you though, they were a find couple." As he continued to tell his stories, she couldn't help but smile knowingly, because even though he didn't notice, it was obvious to everyone else that he had a Caroline smile. It was a smile just for her when she was in his thoughts. One fleeting memory of her would send a smile to his face so brilliant it would reach his eyes leaving a sparkle so radiant a blind man would feel its warmth and notice its glare. That was how she knew he loved her. She wasn't worried. He would figure it out eventually even if he didn't know it yet. _

In remembering Bonnie's absurd theories he cracked a small smile, but he just couldn't hold on to it. He looked across to Caroline and tried to catch her eye from under the veil. He seemed to notice her picking up her head, but she looked away from him, carefully turning her head so that there was no way for him to catch her eye. It was too painful for him to just take it silently.

"Look at me," he whispered. Tears stained his face and he didn't look like he had slept in days (which was true,) but he wanted to see her, to see the feeling and emotion in her eyes he knew she usually hid. There was no way she could be a monster. Not if she was here. She couldn't have completely turned off her emotions. Even if she had, he could never accept it. He could never give up on her.

She heard him and looked up. She turned her head and looked at him, her watery eyes finding his. He was relieved in a way to see tears staining her face. As dirt was tossed onto the casket, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths, trying to push back the new tears that were threatening to fall. When he opened his eyes, she was no longer there. He bowed his head and let go of a heavy breath as he let a tear fall onto the freshly overturned dirt that was being used to bury the coffin. He felt a thin and small hand slip into his and looked to see Caroline standing next to him. He gripped it like a life preserver. He lost her once. He didn't want to lose her again. He wouldn't lose her again. As soon as the funeral was over, he felt her hand leave his. He looked around for her, but she was gone.

Once at the reception, he searched for her again, but knew better than to hope she would be there. He decided to go and find her. After he greeted the men and women, young and old, that had come to express their sympathy and give their condolences he snuck out of the house and into the woods. He made his way to the old Lockwood estate. It was by the cellar that he saw her. She was sitting on the steps. She was still in the dress and black veil and kneeling on the spot where they had found the wolf decades earlier. He stopped and watched for a while, not sure how to approach her without scaring her.

"Caroline," he called softly to her. She sat still.

"I knew you would find me here," she said from her place on the ground.

"It was a lucky guess," he said as he walked forward. He stopped when she stood up and turned to face him. God she was beautiful. Maybe Bonnie was on to something. Maybe it was love, maybe it wasn't. He only knew that he wanted to hold her right now. Years of searching and longing for her company and now he had another shot at getting her to stay. She looked up at him, fresh tears on her face, and her bottom lip trembled violently. As much as he wanted to come up to her, something kept him rooted to his spot, his hands in his pockets.

"I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye," she managed. He smiled slightly.

"It happens," he said with a shrug. He didn't know what it was about those two words, but they caused her to run to him and bury her face in his shoulder, her hands gripping his shirt. Tears flowed freely and sobs came one after the other. He held her close and held on tight afraid that if he let go she would run again. He felt tears come to his eyes. Until now, he never realized how much he had missed her. The smell of her hair, the sound of her voice, the sight of her glowing smile, the touch of her hand, he had missed it all. Then again, he reflected, you never know how much you miss someone until you see them again for the first time.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his chest over and over again, "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, its ok."

"No it's not! You were here for me, and Bonnie, and Jeremy, and-and I just didn't listen! I didn't stay. I didn't want your help. I was just so miserable. I felt responsible for what happened to Tyler and I couldn't take it. I just wanted it all to stop. So I turned off my emotions. I didn't think I was going to come back. But then Bonnie died and I realized I didn't want to be a monster and alone anymore." She stopped and pulled away from him to pace in agitation.

"I just wanted to shut down so much. But I could never hold on to it. I would always lose myself in dreams or when I came across something that reminded me of this place, of Bonnie, Elena, Stephan, Tyler, You. Every time I would come back to my emotions for even just a second, I would think of how much I missed you." She stopped pacing and turned to look at him with wide eyes, not sure if what she said was the right thing to say. When he didn't say anything she bent her head to look at the ground before continuing.

"I just didn't want to always feel like that."

"You missed me?" he asked her, disbelieving.

"Yes," she said shifting from foot to foot, "You are, in a way my creator though Katherine technically killed me. And honestly you did a better job of being there than she did. And you always protect me and listen to me and save my life. And after Stephan and Elena died you were there when I needed someone. Then when Tyler died, you were the one who held me. You take care of me Damon."

He didn't know if it was because of what she said or because of the sound of her saying his name, but a feeling of complete ecstasy spread rapidly throughout him like wildfire. He strode forward and brought her to him. He felt her arms wrap around his waist and smiled.

"Caroline," he said to her, "don't feel silly for missing me. Because out of everyone I lost in the war, you are the only one I thought of every single day, and the only one I missed without pause." He felt her arms tighten around him.

"But," he said with a smile, "you can't go running off anymore. I'm getting too old for searching for you every day." She pulled back from him with a smile on her face.

"You looked for me?"

"Yep. Almost found you once. Until you got tipped off that some old vampire was trying to find you and you ran to somewhere in Eastern Europe. It made things a bit more difficult." She giggled to herself and shook her head vigorously.

"Ok," she said, "I promise. No more running away. Well-maybe for April fool's, or when you occasionally chase me with the hose when I walk outside at the same time you are watering the yard. Don't roll your eyes at me! You know you do it!"

"You know what I meant," he said smiling.

"I know, but I am just covering my bases. oh! and maybe if you are trying to tickle me. Why are you looking at me like that?" He let a soft chuckle escape as he pushed back a strand of hair from her forehead. he traced his finger down to her chin and tilted her head up. She looked up at him with wide and curious eyes as he placed a soft and gentle kiss on her forehead. She looked at him inquiringly letting him know he wasn't going to get away with not answering her question.

"I missed you."

"That's all?"

"Well,no. I was also thinking," he continued, still gazing into her eyes, "Bonnie was right."

"About?" He slung an arm around her shoulder and they turned to walk towards the boarding house.

"I'll tell you in due time. that okay with you?"

"Yup," she said with a smile. She bumped his chin with her head, "We have all the time in the world."


End file.
